Hortus Oasis Landscape Design

11/23/2022

Just made a donation to this great organization and worthy cause.

Your donation will help to provide fresh meals for those in need after disasters, and build long-term resilience in affected communities.

11/16/2022

Video of this morning’s launch from KSC. Parked just across the Banana River from the launch pad. Towards the end you will see a second light to the right of Artemis. That’s the moon in the east. Thank you Danielle for inviting us and congratulations to everyone involved. This was a once in a lifetime experience! Sound on!

12/21/2019

A stroll in our garden is therapeutic. So at least twice a day is appropriate. Today’s macro images...

12/20/2019

Here is another article from the archive. We found the creeping fig covered wall at a restaurant in Dade City, FL. For our latest articles for The Park Press look for the print version (Winter Park city hall or Miller’s Hardware are two places) or online.

12/18/2019

Our new residential design project in Winter Garden is in progress following the site visit. A portion of the concept plan for the right side of the house is shown here. For orientation find the gate in the pictures and the plan. The concept includes walkways, a terrace with water feature off of the screened porch, bench swing, containers for herbs (near the kitchen) and succulents, small greenhouse, screening for privacy, potting bench area, fruit trees, bird bath, landscape beds vs. turf areas, bird feeder, and cutting garden with a patio for an intimate seating area. Following client review and comment next week, the preliminary plan with plant material selections will be created.

12/17/2019

Instead of an ouch, trim off the tips of agave spines where flesh may be nearby.

12/13/2019

Dewy dill in our garden.

12/08/2019

Today’s word of the day in my email inbox is what we call a ”hortspeak” word.

Fastigiate [ fa-stij-ee-it, -eyt ] is an adjective and is used to describe a plant as “having branches that are erect and parallel, tapering to a pointed top.” The English word dates to the 17th century and is still relevant today.

We have one of those plants in our garden. Pictured is a fastigiate Ilex vomitoria ‘Will Fleming’ holly framing the right side of our house (make sure to open the image to see it). The second photo is of one in Bok Tower Gardens. There are other fastigiate plants to love. Can you name any others that grow in Central Florida? Remember to read the description again, it does not describe just any columnar plant such as podocarpus.

12/06/2019

We are excited about starting a new residential landscape design project in Winter Garden. The historic house is on a quiet brick street on a large lot. The owners have already completed the Program Development Checklist we provided, which helped them organize their thoughts about what they want in their garden. This week we made site measurements and a site analysis using an enlarged copy of the property survey.

Measurements include noting many items not typically found on a property survey, but which are oh so important when designing a landscape: windows /doors and their sill heights, roof overhangs, overhead wires, septic tank/drain field, hose bibbs, electrical panels, gas meters, fences, downspouts, walls, step risers and treads, the height to eaves in case trellises are desired, and plant material to remain and transplant.

The site analysis notes sun and shade patterns while noting which way is north, the condition of existing plants, drainage issues, soil conditions, views to block or keep open, where trash containers are stored, and the condition of trees and/or palms.

Our knowledge of the site is one of the keys to a good design.

12/04/2019

A lovely young lady interested in succulents recently toured our garden with her family. Kristin and I shared with them how succulents store water so they can withstand low rainfall without any watering. As we strolled we pointed out the great diversity of plant sizes and shapes, leaf structures, color, visual and tactile textures found in agaves, aloes, sansevierias, haworthias, gasterias, senecios, and more. Very happy and inspired, she went home with succulents, pots, and a well-draining potting soil mix.

11/28/2019

In case you missed this in The Park Press, or you don’t have a photographic memory we gladly share it here.

11/25/2019

Today was a beautiful autumn day in our Florida garden. Kristin and I spent a delightful five hours tweaking it without breaking a sweat. Often, we go our own way and cross paths numerous times. Today was no different and as Kristin deadheaded marigolds in our potager my mind was on podocarpus - our three “podo” columns needed a trim.

Afterwards, I thought about the versatility of Podocarpus macrophyllus, so I strolled around the house and took a few photos. I am still amazed to see mature podocarpus that are trees. One of them graces the front of our neighbor’s house. At one time they lined Colonial Drive through Orlando near Mills Avenue and only a few relics remain. If you enjoy beer, visit Sideward Brewing on Bumby and look for the nearby mature Japanese yew (aka podocarpus) to the north.

Typically podocarpus is seen grown as hedges (pick your height), or in a columnar form making accents to visually tie down the corner of a structure. Recently we introduced a different podocarpus to our garden - Podocarpus macrophyllus ‘Pringles’. It matures at about a four foot height and will be easy to maintain at the 30” height we desire.

Evergreen, drought tolerant once established, and versatile - what’s not to like?